American Religion

Contemporary Trends

Bibliographic Data

ID20031680
AuthorsM Chaves (0000-0001-6793-2302, corresponding author)
Year2011
Pages139
Publication date2011-08-28
Open AccessYes
TypeBOOK
VenueAmerican Religion (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherPrinceton University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.23943/princeton/9780691146850.001.0001
OpenAlexW4231616454
Open LibraryOL24823250M
ISBN9780691146850
LanguageEN
Citations received9

Most Americans say they believe in God, and more than a third say they attend religious services every week. Yet studies show that people do not really go to church as often as they claim, and it is not always clear what they mean when they tell pollsters they believe in God or pray. This book presents up-to-date information about religious trends in the United States, in a succinct and accessible manner. The book provides essential information about key developments in American religion since 1972, and is the first major resource of its kind to appear in more than two decades. The book looks at trends in diversity, belief, involvement, congregational life, leadership, liberal Protestant decline, and polarization. It draws on two important surveys: the General Social Survey, an ongoing survey of Americans' changing attitudes and behaviors, begun in 1972; and the National Congregations Study, a survey of American religious congregations across the religious spectrum. The book finds that American religious life has seen much continuity in recent decades, but also much change. It challenges the popular notion that religion is witnessing a resurgence in the United States—in fact, traditional belief and practice is either stable or declining. The book examines why the decline in liberal Protestant denominations has been accompanied by the spread of liberal Protestant attitudes about religious and social tolerance, how confidence in religious institutions has declined more than confidence in secular institutions, and a host of other crucial trends

General Social Survey · Political science · Protestantism · Religious belief · Social science · Sociology · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious studies · 1960 · 20th century · General · Religion · Religionssoziologie · Religiosität · united states · USA

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